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I’m researching Joan Martin, who married John Widdicombe, a yeoman of Ugborough, on 2 May 1774 in Ugborough. I’m trying to confirm her baptism and family of origin, and would appreciate any guidance or thoughts.

Her Find a Grave memorial lists her death in 1809, aged 54, suggesting a birth year around 1755:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204432820/joan-widdicombe

The marriage licence bond, dated 24 March 1774 (Ancestry.com), names Joan as a spinster “of Ugborough” and is signed by John Widdicombe and John Calloway, a mercer of Plympton. A Jn Martin witnessed the actual marriage (attached), which may be a helpful clue.

I'm aware there are a number of Joan, Jenny, Jane, and Joanna Martin baptisms in the South Hams region around this time. I’m currently weighing two main candidates:

1. Jenny Martin, baptised Bigbury, 29 July 1753

    Parents: James Martin & Mary Ford (m. 1746, Ringmore)

    Siblings include James, John, and Margaret (Peggy)

    Possibly relevant given the use of names like Jenny, Peggy, and John among Joan's children

    Main question: Was Jenny ever used as a variant or nickname for Joan in Devon during this period?

2. Joan Martin, reportedly baptised, Harberton, 1755

    Some Ancestry.com trees cite this person, which would match the gravestone age

    I haven’t been able to locate the actual baptism or verify this connection by documentation                 (familysearch.org & ancestry.com)

Other entries I’ve come across (but can’t currently access in full) include:

    Jane Martin (1754, Buckfastleigh)

    Joanna Martin (1756, Bishopsteignton)

At the time of the marriage, Joan is described as “of this parish” (Ugborough), but I can’t find a matching baptism there around 1755.

Children of John and Joan Widdicombe (possibly helpful for naming pattern clues):

    John, Rebecca, Elizabeth, William, Jenny, Mary Ann, Peggy, Anne, Ann, Samuel, Sarah

If anyone has come across this family, or the local Martin lines in Bigbury, Harberton or nearby parishes, I’d be grateful for any insights — or corrections if I’ve gone off track. I don’t currently have access to Findmypast, so can’t check some of the Devon Baptism entries myself.

Warm thanks in advance,

Intrigued to find out that I am allegedly related to various famous people via familysearch.org Rootstech matches. Others reading this may also call such matches into question. In this case, the connection allegedly comes through Sir Roger Grenville (1477-1524) https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/KFPV-3RF
and his son Degorie/Digory https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LYXX-XVB
and thereafter his son Richard https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LY4B-DBN

I followed the connections backwards in my tree and the one link that seems potentially to be the most dubious, is Sir Roger’s alleged great grandson, John Grenville 1565 - 1656 (a ripe old age to live to, in an era where men usually died much younger, sceptical of this) https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/G7Q3-9WP

John died in St Just in Penwith, which correlates with the family lineage in my tree and the area where my ancestors lived thereafter. I however question the date of death that familysearch.org has for this individual’s profile.

I looked at the alleged father of John Grenville, Richard Grenville's familysearch.org profile,
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LY4B-DBN
and found it difficult to link a son named John by Florence Kellaway to him, by looking elsewhere on the internet.
For example: https://gw.geneanet.org/ricknorine?n=grenville&oc=&p=richard

The best I could come up with were various trees on ancestry.com (without any records to back them up), such as the following:
https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/157195769/person/432183534227/facts

this particular profile has a John with a father named as Richard, but mother as "Margaret" (no surname given), not Florence Kellaway. It also has a different date of death for John. This would suggest that Richard may have married twice or may have had a child out of wedlock with "Margaret", according to this tree, or simply that the information in that ancestry tree is incorrect. Florence allegedly died in 1586 according to familysearch.org, long after John was allegedly born in 1565. https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/GZD8-NXM

There are also other trees on ancestry.com without any backup references that postulate John as the son of Richard Grenville & Florence Kellaway, for example https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/199494617/person/352615930793/facts

There is a published history of the ‘Granville Family’, which appears to be a definitive work on the aristocratic lineage here:
https://ia600208.us.archive.org/2/items/historyofgranvil00gran/historyofgranvil00gran.pdf

see page 73, which mentions Richard, son of Degorie/Digory (https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LYXX-XVB). I can't seem to find a reference to a son John there in the pages thereafter. However, if John was born out of wedlock, then maybe he was left out of an official history?

 I'm wondering what the familysearch.org sources are? Are there any existing records that deal with a John Grenville / Granville born Abt 1565 in Cornwall that give his parents’ names? Is he really related to the aristocratic family descended from Sir Roger?

Any help appreciated

Trying to work out what the writing is under Elizabeth Adams and what its significance is. All such names on the original page are women, for all burials. It would not be a Church representative would it?

burial: Hemel Hempstead, St Mary, Hertfordshire
Elizabeth Adams, 29 Sep 1780

Can the OP please say where the banns page can be accessed.

The original is from findmypast here: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FM%2F73075290%2F1
Then click on view original record. This is not the same page as the familysearch.org page mentioned above which is an interesting contrast

The attached graphic is of the marriage banns of Ralph Adams dated 18 Aug. 1740, in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

His wife's name is hard to decipher
ancestry.com and family search has it as Elizabeth Hindell
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N28D-8LC
findmypast.co.uk has it as Elizabeth Kendell
Hertfordshire Archives has it as Elizabeth Windell

I am trying to trace where she may have been born, therefore a correct surname would be a help.

thank you